The Downtown Chattanooga Alliance (DCA) has hired Jim Kennedy, who since 2005 has created strategic work plans for cities throughout the Southeast.
Steve Brookes, DCA executive director, said, "Because Jim has a tremendous amount of experience and deep knowledge of Chattanooga, he is an outstanding choice to lead us in creating a Strategic Work Plan for our district.
"To help Jim, the DCA will form a committee led by two DCA board members.
The committee will interview downtown property owners, residents, and businesses to find out what they feel has gone well and what things have not worked. This information will help the committee analyze the DCA’s strengths and weaknesses, find opportunities, anticipate threats, and develop a blueprint for moving ahead."
Mr. Brookes said the DCA has also been working to create a Landscape Master Plan.
He said, "Over a five-year period, downtown Chattanooga will be filled with native plants, annuals and perennials. This plan is in line with our mission to separate our city from other Southeastern cities through beautification.
"The DCA has formed a committee that includes landscape design experts, who have had interviews with a local landscape firm to create a process outline and fee proposal. The committee members are enthusiastic and working hard to see this plan thought to fruition."
The DCA was created a little over two years ago to make downtown Chattanooga clean and welcoming. Downtown supporters were surveyed and then created a work plan that has:
· hired an Executive Director
· selected a vendor for the Ambassador program
· launched and trained an Ambassador program
· focused on performing beautification efforts and keeping downtown clean, safe, and welcoming
Officials said, "After two years of following the work plan, it is time to evaluate what has been accomplished and to determine where the organization should go in the future. In April, the Board of Directors voted to create a Strategic Work Plan."
During the month of April, Downtown Chattanooga Alliance Ambassadors achieved the following the following special projects and cleaning accomplishments.
1. Power washed stains, smells, and deep cleaned sidewalks for 23 hours a decrease of 71% from April of 2021
2. Removed 125 graffiti tags and stickers observed around the district an increase of 166% when compared to April of 2021.
3. Cleaned 102 incidents of biohazards and disinfected the immediate surrounding area, an increase of 108% when compared to April of 2021.
4. Performed 244 hours of special projects which mainly included mulching, weeding, and planting flowers.
5. Collected 1,700 bags of trash, an increase of 455% when compared to April of 2021.
6. Performed weed abatement on 85 block faces, an increase of 47% when compared to April of 2021.